Savage War
by theRebelli0n
Summary: Ralph has found that his military school has turned to ruins in a matter of seconds- a bomb from a war that's taken over most of the world has hit England and destroyed London. Now he and the other boys are left to fend for themselves. Follows the book a bit. Will focus on Ralph, Jack, Simon, and Roger.(A little bit of Samneric later on) No slash. Rated T for violence. Incomplete.
1. Chapter 1

It was a bit ironic. The military school, built for war. Built for attacks like this- but now, the building was in ruins. Blown apart by a bomb, like most of the city- a bomb that was part of the horrific war that ravaged most of the world. A war that seemed like it wouldn't end until the world itself did first. As the fair haired boy stumbled through the mess, he couldn't help but chuckle at the thought- at the irony, not the impending apocalypse. He untangled himself from a mess of electrical wires that dangled from the ceiling, dodging sparks. Soon, he was out of his classroom, or what was left of it, and into the hallway, following the stream of daylight that poured in from where the ceiling had collapsed just a few yards ahead.

"_Hey!" _A voice called out to his left. His head whipped around to that direction and he saw the doorway that led into another classroom. A shadowy figure was waving a hand in front if it's face to push the smoke and dust away. Then it emerged and he could see the largely round figure of a boy around his age. The boy coughed violently as he stumbled out, putting a hand on the doorframe to keep his balance.

"Where are the others?" The fat boy asked after he finally caught his breath. He pulled off the circular specs that sat on his nose and began to wipe them off on his black military uniform.

"There aren't any." Came the fair-haired boy's quick reply as he continued on his way down the hall. He didn't look behind him to see if the other boy would follow his lead.

"Hey-" the boy called out again, as he put his specs back on"-Wait for me!" He ran, or at least tried to, after him. The fair haired boy shielded his eyes with his forearms as he finally reached the end of the hall.

-"Slow down…!" the boy was breathing heavily now, "I can't run- on account of my asthma…"

"-Ass-mar?" The fair haired boy repeated, raising a brow.

"Yes, I can't catch my breath. I can't run…" He put his hands on his knees and bent over, breathing hard. The other boy couldn't help but wonder how this over-weight boy crippled with asthma managed to get into such a school…

Massive blocks of cement were scattered around them along with other debris from where the roof had caved in, making a make-shift staircase that led outside. He started to climb up carefully, until he reached the top where he stopped and stood up straight looking over the war-torn city of London. Smoke rose from parts of the destroyed city and fires were blazing in random spots everywhere. It was eerily silent. The sky had turned a red and black colour from the smoke. Behind him, the fatter boy was having difficulty climbing the wreckage.

"What's your name?" He asked as reached the top.

"Ralph." The fair haired boy now known as Ralph replied without looking at him. He squinted against the sun that beat down on them through the red and black clouds. The plump boy nodded, but kept silent as he also observed the sight around them. The light that reflected off his specs made Ralph squint even more, so he refrained from making eye-contact with him.

"How old are you?"

"Must you ask so many questions? I'm 15." Ralph let out a sigh then started to make his way down the rubble. He jumped down onto the dirt; his combat boots were covered in dust now. The boy still stumbled after him and Ralph sighed again, a bit irritated. The sound of footsteps caught his attention. Ralph looked up and noticed a few boys emerge from the entrance, both covered in soot and ash. They looked about 6 or 7 and their knees were scraped.  
"Looks like there are other survivors." The plump boy said behind him. However the two boys were not alone. Slowly but surely others trickled out, usually accompanied by one or two others, coughing and groaning about what had happened. Ralph looked around- most of them were young, the oldest being maybe 12. The last boy flocked in and took a seat on piece of rubble, near two other boys, complaining about how his head hurt. Ralph was about to give orders when suddenly, the crackle of static and broken voices stopped him. Piggy and Ralph turned and they saw the body of a guard, an older man probably, who had died in the blast lying near the door under a slab of metal debris. The other, younger boys saw him and whimpered. By his bloody hand was a radio. Ralph ran for it and snatched it up.

"—Hailsham Academy [STATIC] –in- Are there [STATIC] survivors?" The voice on the other line sounded like it was coming from some other military authority. Ralph pressed his thumb down on the black button.

"Yes- hello? This is Colonel Ralph, from Hailsham-"

"-Hailsham come in [STATIC] Hello?"

Ralph couldn't tell if the man on the other line had heard him or not, so he tried again- "Hello, this is-"

"-Hailsham-"

"-Colonel Ralph-"

"-Come in-[STATIC]" Finally the line became overcome with static and the broken voice disappeared.

"Damnit…" he muttered and lowered the radio from his lips. Something must have been wrong with the signal- the radio towers were probably destroyed in the blast. He turned back to the boy behind him who watched anxiously.

"I don't think they can hear you." He stated plaintively. Ralph nodded slowly and stood up.

"No, I don't think they can…"

Then, another voice came in, clearer and younger.

"This is Officer Merridew- who is this?" The voice on the other line had an accent. Ralph's expression lit up and he pressed down the Speak button once again.

"Colonel Ralph- where are you at, Officer?"

"South-side of the school- and yourself?"

"Front entrance. Meet us here, now." He waited for a reply. There came none but he assumed that Officer Merridew was on his way. Ralph faced the plump boy in front of him once more.

"What's your name?" He asked and the boy smiled, as if he had been waiting for this very question since their meeting.

"Well, the older boys called me Piggy but-"

"-Piggy it is, then." Ralph cut him off and Piggy sunk a little in his jacket in disappointment. A moment later the shouts from an Officer arose from the distance. Ralph stood up straight as he waited.

"Look!" Piggy pointed.

Through the rubble ahead of them, two straight lines led by a tall, scrawny looking young man with fiery-red hair appeared. They all wore the same uniform- black caps and dark togs, brown cargo pants stuffed into boots and a belt at each of their sides that wielded small handguns. On the front of each of the togs were silver crosses- all except for the red-head in front, whose cross was gold.

"Halt!" He shouted and the boys behind him came to an abrupt stop. His accent was strong and he spoke with authority. Ralph looked them over and nodded in approval.

"Which of you is the one I spoke with over the radio?" The red-head demanded. Ralph stepped forward.

"I'm Colonel Ralph." The red-dead saluted him- not really with respect but out of pure instinct. Plus, it was mandatory when it came to meeting others in higher authority. "Are you Officer Merridew?"

"Yes- Jack Merridew." Ralph nodded and saluted him in return, before overlooking the other boys once more. They all shifted impatiently, swaying under the smoky clouds, coughing and sniffling. Some of the youngest looked like they had been crying.

"Merridew, can't we sit down yet?" One whined.

"Shut up! " Merridew snapped. "Do you have any idea where the General is?" He turned to Ralph.

"Dead- so is everyone else." Ralph answered. Jack lowered his icy blue eyes as he took this in, and then looked up once more. Meanwhile, Piggy busied himself with cleaning his glasses again. Jack opened his mouth to speak when suddenly the line broke up as one of the boys swooned and fell flat on his face.

"Merridew!" One of the younger ones called out and they flocked around the small boy lying on the floor like vultures. Jack rolled his eyes.

"Leave him be- Simon's always throwing a faint!" The fiery haired boy turned to them. "Go ahead sit down if it'll get you all to stop whining..!" Behind him all the boys sat down, wrapping themselves in their togs against the cool breeze. Two other boys dragged the small body of the boy with them, lied him down gently in the dirt and sat down on either side of him.

"We should take names, so that we know who's who." Piggy said. Ralph nodded.

"Okay then. You're-"

"-Officer Jack Merridew." Jack put in. He couldn't handle anyone else introducing him but himself. Ralph nodded once more.

"And your boys?" He looked to the line of children aging from 6 to 15. Ralph didn't understand why the General's decided to mix such young children with older boys but he didn't question it. He wasn't allowed to. It was silent a moment as none of the boys wanted to be the first to speak.

"Come on now, state your names." Jack ordered impatiently. A boy with messy brown hair quickly spoke up.

"I'm Maurice." He chimed, grinning a bit.

"-I'm Henry." Another younger boy put in.

"-Robert-"

"-I'm Wilbert-"

"-Bill-"

"Harold-" Other voices arose as the boys introduced themselves.

A boy with dark eyes and even darker hair spoke up last. "I'm Roger." He muttered

"I'm Simon…" The boy who had fainted spoke up as he recovered slowly. He was darkly skinned and his eyes were a piercing shade of dark green. There were at least sixteen in all. Jack smiled a bit proudly at his group, and then returned his gaze to Ralph. They then turned to the other children who had arrived earlier. The first to speak up from them were two boys- twins in fact- with light brown and blonde hair and identical complexions.

"I'm Sam-" The one on the right introduced.

"n' I'm Eric." Smiled the one of the left.

"Okay Sam-" Piggy began, but Sam shook his head.

"No he's Sam, I'm Eric-"

"Okay, Sam, Eric- Sam-uh-" The two boys giggled to each other at how much difficulty Piggy was having.

"We'll just call 'em Samneric." Ralph pinched the bridge of his nose, getting frustrated at just watching Piggy struggle. Samneric seemed satisfied with their new name and nodded to each other, then Ralph. Piggy then turned to the other children.

"I'm Percival…"  
"-Douglas-"

There was another chorus of names. Of course, Piggy only remembered a small handful.

"Now we ought to have someone in charge." Piggy went on. "Ralph's the Colonel so he-"

"-Shut up fatty, you're talking too much." Jack suddenly snapped.

"His name's not fatty, it's Piggy!" Ralph put in then immediately realized what he had said did not at all help the chubbier boy. The other children giggled and laughed.

"Piggy! Oh, Piggy!" They howled. Jack chuckled to himself then put up his hand, silencing the boys. Meanwhile, Piggy looked down and pretended to be distracted with his glasses, which he cleaned with his uniform for the third time. Ralph sighed and removed his military jacket which was decorated with a few badges and medals, alike Jack's. He laid it down on a piece of debris and turned back to everyone.

"Piggy's right. We need someone in charge. A Chief."

The other children nodded in agreement. "I ought to be Chief." Jack spoke up. "I'm Commanding Officer- my boys have been trained and are top ranking." The boys behind him sat up a bit straighter at the recognition.

"But the Colonel-" Percival said quietly. "Shouldn't he be chief?" Jack narrowed his eyes at the smaller boy, who looked away.

"We should have a vote." Roger said. Jack nodded quickly.

"Alright. Raise your hand if I ought to be Chief." Jack said and all the hands of his group sprang up- or at least most of them did. Simon didn't budge despite the odd glances given to him by the other boys.

"Okay- what about me?" Ralph said. The rest of the hands- Simon included- went up. It was more than obvious that Jack had been outnumbered by a few. He muttered something under his breath and his cheeks flushed with slight humiliation. Ralph smiled to himself and nodded at this.

"I'm Chief then." He noticed Jack. "Merridew, you're in charge of all yours boys." With that, Jack's face lit up a bit, content with this small piece of leadership.

"We'll be Hunter's." He said. The other boys behind him seemed pleased with this. Ralph nodded and smiled at Jack- who smiled slowly in return, but quickly looked away.

"All right boys-" He faced his boys once again. "Remove your togs." As if they had been dismissed from class the boys all removed their black 'capes' and laid them on the debris and rubble behind them., chattering amongst themselves. The younger boys in the other group sat quietly, tugging at their grey sweater vests.

"Now listen everyone-" Ralph stepped forward, taking in his new role as Chief. "- We have no idea what's really happened. We know we've been bombed, but that's it. Now we need to know if there are any adults around to help us. Or maybe the other way around. We'll go exploring first. Me and a few other boys." He looked among the eager faces. "Jack, you'll come." Jack nodded and unsheathed his knife from his belt as if he expected they run into to something or someone deadly. "And…" Ralph searched the faces some more. Simon was still recovering. Finally his eyes fell on the dark haired boy. "And you- Roger."

Roger didn't seem to excited. He stood up and fell behind Jack. There was a pistol at his belt- one larger than any of the other boys' guns. His dark and sadistic appearance gave Ralph a vibe that he might be the most skilled among the others. And the most deadly.

"What about me?" Ralph turned and saw Piggy staggering behind him.  
"This isn't a very good job for you-"

"But I-"

"-You heard the Chief." Jack said, agitated now. "Three's enough." Piggy's glasses flashed and his cheeks turned a bit red. Jack and Roger started forward while Ralph stayed back a moment.

"Look. Stay back here and keep an eye on the others. Get names and make sure everyone's alright." Piggy nodded slowly. "That's your job." Ralph smiled hoping to reassure the boy. Piggy finally returned the smile and Ralph patted his shoulder. "So long." He waved and raced after Jack and Roger.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey there lovelies~ This chapter is a bit shorter but a little bit more exciting. Reviews would be appreciated. :)**

Chapter 2- London deserted

The three staggered along the road, Jack and Ralph walked side by side while Roger fell a few feet behind them, eyes averted down. Along the road were abandoned cars mostly burned out. Ralph tried not to look at their driver's remains that slumped over their steering wheels, their faces burnt and hair coarse, skin black and crisp. Some of the cars were overturned and others had been thrown off the road completely. Glass and metal s scattered everywhere. Highway signs were down. One sign that read- Interstate 49 WEST- had fallen and crushed a semi. The three boys had to duck under it to continue forward.

"My God…" Ralph breathed as they entered the city. It was mostly destroyed- completely wiped off the map. The tallest buildings still stood, somewhat. Chunks were missing out of some while others had the entire faces of them ripped off, revealing the inside. Ralph wondered how many people might still be inside the burning buildings, trying to get out… He wondered about his family. Oh God, were they okay? Probably not… The blast would have destroyed their neighborhood. His home was probably hollow now, brick walls fallen and nothing left but a chimney standing. Stores, apartments, skyscrapers, vendors, everything. Everything was destroyed. Gone. Burnt out. Or just turned to dust completely. Ralph was at first surprised that he hadn't stumbled across any bodies until he came to the horrific realization that most people must have been vaporized completely or burned alive. It burned a horrible image in his brain and he shuddered and looked around at the buildings hoping they would distract him. The tall ruins made Ralph's head spin. He felt a bit dizzy and his eyes suddenly watered.

"Hey-" Jack's voice shattered his thoughts and he turned to him. "You okay?" Ralph smiled slightly and nodded.

"Yeah, it's just the smoke." He lied and wiped his eyes with his thumb. "This is bad." He said after a moment. Jack chuckled.

"Understatement of the century."

As they continued it became more and more apparent that they were likely the only survivors. The air was filled with ash and dust. It smelt of smoke and burning- What was that? Was that… _Flesh_? Ralph cringed. Jack must of smelt it too because he suddenly removed a white handkerchief from his pocket and covered his mouth and nose with it. Roger did the same. Despite this, they continued forward.

The streets were clogged with cars and the boys had to climb over them in order to get anywhere. Roger's foot broke through the badly cracked glass of a windshield. He cursed under his breath and pulled his leg out slowly. Jack reached out to him, took his gloved hand and pulled him up.

"How many do you think are dead?" Ralph broke the intimidating silence. They all stopped in the middle of an intersection which was mostly free of abandoned vehicles. They were spinning as they took in what was around them once more: Blown out windows, collapsed roofs, buildings that had fallen entirely.

"Oh, I don't know…" Jack answered. The once large and beautiful city of London was now a red and black disaster. There were no more potted flowers in the medians, no more happy looking tourists. No more paper boys shouting out breaking news headlines. Instead of the sound of cars and buses they heard the crackling of fires; the crashes of buildings collapsing in the distance. Not far from where they were was Big Ben. If they got to high ground and squinted through the smoke they might have caught a glimpse of its current state- the entire face of the magnificent clock had been shattered and the tip of it had fallen into the streets below. A nearby bridge had three large gaps in it and the cables had snapped and the entire thing was about to fall into the water. The three boys could not see all this but they imagined it. A heavy weight lay on their shoulders.

"It's too quiet…" Jack sighed. "If there were any survivors we would have seen them by now."

"Let's head back-" Ralph began but was cut off when a sudden pop of a bullet struck the car window that sat behind him, shattering it. All three suddenly screamed and ducked behind of what was left of a taxi, all four of its windows shattered and paint peeling and turned black. Two more shots rang and struck the vehicle. Ralph, Jack, and Roger pressed themselves against the car and held their breath, eyes averted up and hearts pounding.

"-Shit!"

"-Was that a sniper?" Ralph leaned up to peer over the hood of the vehicle but immediately stooped down again.

"Keep your head down!" Jack hissed. "Why the bloody hell are they shooting at us- we're not the enemy!" He looked to Ralph then to Roger who was crouched behind the blonde. "You don't think-"

"-That they're the enemy?" Ralph finished him, giving a look disbelief. "How could they get here so fast? After dropping that bomb? That's impos-" There was another round shot at them and they ducked again as the bullets kicked up ash and dirt, making holes in the asphalt.

"-We need to go back and warn the others..!" Jack said, crouched down low beside him.

"If we leave this spot, they'll kill us!" Ralph whispered back.

"And the same if we stay here!" Jack raised his voice. Ralph would have protested but another shot went off- this time it was closer to them. Both boys turned to Roger who had removed his pistol from his belt and was aiming over the hood.

"-Roger what the bloody hell-"

BAM- There was a sudden thud as whatever Roger had shot at fell to the ground. He ducked back behind the car and so did the other two.

"There are two guys in gas masks behind a shop back there-" He gestured behind them. "-I got one of them." He flipped open the chamber of his pistol, seeing that there were seven bullets left.

"We don't know who they are, what if they're soldiers here to help us?" Ralph leaned in, his voice hushed. Roger raised a brow at him. Another shot from their attackers slammed into the asphalt near them.

"You wanna go try and talk it out with 'em?" Roger asked and leaned up aiming his pistol once more. He shot again, the bullet chipping the wall of the shop their attackers hid in.

"We need to get out of here." Jack repeated slowly. Ralph turned to him.

"What do you suggest we do?" he was getting frustrated now. How on earth were they to get back to the others? Ralph's heart pounded in his chest. He wasn't ready to die. Not yet. Not now. Meanwhile another thud was heard. Roger mouthed something to himself.

"One more left…" He muttered. Ralph sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. He was the Chief. He was the leader. Why was he asking the questions when he was supposed to be the one answering them? Roger shot twice- another thud was heard. Ralph's eyes snapped open.

"Now's our chance- let's go!" He ordered rather loudly, jumped to his feet and sprinted past the other vehicles and jumped over the hoods of them. Jack was taken off guard and watched Ralph with wide-eyes as if he had grown some extra limb before scrambling to his feet and running after him. Roger stood up and instead of following, he stood still and watched where the 'Terrorists' had been. One body lay exposed by the entrance of the shop, a pool of dark crimson blood spreading from the hole in his helmet. He stepped forward slowly and looked over the body. The man was dressed in all black and wore a gas mask that covered his entire face. His bullet-proof vest had some odd symbol with a snake on it chest that was surrounded by writing Roger didn't understand. And didn't care to. Strapped around him was a large gun- a sniper rifle. Roger stooped down and pulled the gun out of the man's dead grip, then moved the strap around the body until it was off him completely. Roger had only worked a gun this powerful and large once. He admired it, looking it over and smiling slightly to himself. Their pitiful handguns wouldn't protect them from these guys forever. He flung the rifle over his shoulder and let it dangle at his side. Then he noticed something white- a little box peeking out of the soldier's pocket. Roger cocked his head then reached down and picked it up. It was a box of cigarettes, with only six left inside. Roger hadn't smoked before but sine the world seemed to have gone to hell now seemed like a good time to start. He threw the box into the air, caught it, and then stuffed it into one of the deep pocket of cargo-pants.

Ralph's adrenaline kept him running for a while, maybe two blocks. Soon, he was nearing the highway that they had gotten in from. He jogged to a stop, put his hands on his knees and slowly allowed himself to catch his breath. A moment later he heard footsteps behind him and Jack slowed down next to him.

"Could you warn me ahead of time when you're gonna take off like that, please?" Jack said. His chest heaved but not nearly as bad as Ralph. "God, you're so out of shape." The red head sniggered and Ralph glared at him.

"Shut up." He muttered between heavy breaths then straightened himself. He glanced behind the officer. "Wait- where's Roger?"

Roger walked carelessly through the streets swerving away from abandoned cars and hopping over the ones that blocked his way entirely. He didn't run- he didn't need to. His ears listened closely to his own footsteps and the silence around him. His left arm lay against the rifle as if it were an arm rest, while the right dangled at his side. The fingers on his right hand twitched, feeling the pistol that sat at his belt. If he heard any abnormal sound and he'd jump into action. By the time he reached Ralph and Jack the two had both completely caught their breaths and had their hands on their hips.

"Could you walk any slower?" Ralph sighed. Roger shrugged and tugged on the strap that supported his new weapon. "Where'd you get that?"

"Terrorist's." Was all Roger said as he pushed onward. Ralph looked over the massive, deadly weapon then at Jack who also shrugged.

"It may do us some good." He said. Ralph accepted this and the three made slow progress back to where the others waited.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Scavenger

Ralph, Jack, and Roger returned around sunset. It was late October and the crisp air pinched their noses and turned them red. After they told the others about the city and what it looked like (leaving out the attack), Ralph ordered that they search the school for a large room that was somewhat intact. Somewhere they could stay overnight, somewhere safe. The cafeteria was the only room that had most of its ceiling. A small portion at the West side of the lunch room where the wall had crumbled in led outside. Moonlight pooled onto the floor that was exposed to the sky while the parts that were sheltered by the ceilings grew dark with shadows. Ralph and Jack worked together to push the lunch tables into a semi-circle- the Littun's would sleep secure inside. Some of the Littun's had wandered off and brought back notebooks and books that they had found in empty classrooms. Tearing the papers from the books despite Piggy's protests and whines about how literature ought to be respected, they used crumbled pieces of cement and brick to make a small fire-pit where the papers were thrown in. It sat at the mouth of the circle. Samneric went to the court yard and searched for wood but came back with armfuls of small, charred sticks from what was left of the tall trees that once stood outside. They threw them into the pit but looked at Ralph anxiously.

"There wasn't much wood-"

"-Only twigs-"

"-And sticks. Most of the trees-"

"-Are black as charcoal-."

"-useless."

"It'll have to do…" He sighed. It would barely last them the night but that would at least give them time to figure out how to fix it for the next night. They had pit ready to be lit… But nothing to light it with.

"Has anyone got any-" Roger held up a single match silently. Ralph smiled and took it. "-Thanks." He struck it against the brick wall and it sparked, hissing. He dropped it in the pit. The papers lit up quickly, the words written on them disappearing into black as they curled in the heat. The twigs and sticks kept it going, barely. It immediately brought warmth and Ralph smiled again, contently to himself. The Littluns all huddled close to each other around the flame, still tearing pages from a few leftover books and tossing papers into the fire every now and then. One of them was complaining that he was hungry and another was crying softly, saying he wanted to go home.

Jack and his boys were sitting at the far end of the lunch room, eyeing the fire with jealous eyes. Simon was amongst them, wrapping himself tightly in his tog against the cold.

"We need to go look for food tomorrow." Ralph said once he stepped over to them. Jack nodded.

"The entire towns destroyed. Where will find any?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"The city- some of the stores still stand, there's got to be food in there somewhere."

"I've seen them radiation signs on the sides of buildings. That means there's fallout shelters in their basements, there ought t'be food stored there." Piggy had joined next to the fair haired boy. His almost-foreign like accent made him seem less intelligent than he actually was. Jack ignored him.

"If we do go-" Ralph went on, "-then we need to leave some of the Hunter's here. I don't know if those…."

"-Terrorist's." Roger said quietly. Ralph flinched a little at the name but nodded.

"Yeah, Terrorist's, I don't know if they'll be looking for us. Roger, you have that fancy gun. That scope can see for miles, I'd feel better if you'd stay here and watch the Littluns."

"Hey now, these are my Hunters. I make the call on what they do and do not do." Jack advanced forward eyeing Ralph.

"But Ralph's Chief-"

"Nobody's talking to you, fatty!" He snapped. This brought snickers from the boys. Ralph glared at him.

"Quit calling him that!" Ralph growled and the buzz died down. "There's no need for arguing like this… Jack, would you mind if some of the hunter's stayed behind to watch the Littluns?" Jack sighed and turned to the Hunters. They had all put their togs back on and tugged at them anxiously.

"Maurice, Simon, I want you two to come with Ralph and I on this scavenge. Roger, Ralph's right, you should stay behind." Roger didn't say anything, but nodded lightly. Maurice grinned a bit at the recognition and invitation. Simon smiled softly at Ralph. Jack turned back to him.

"We'll need the one's who'll stay behind to keep watch." Ralph said.

"We need radios, in case something happens." Said Maurice from where he sat.

"Ralph do you still have the one from earlier?" Jack asked. Ralph patted down his pockets for the radio he had found earlier that day. Looking down, his fingers finally found the chunk of black plastic and metal and he held it up. "I still have mine." Jack said, smiling.

"We'll leave one with your Hunter's. That way, if something goes wrong on their end they can contact us. Same for if something happens to us. What channel is yours on?"

"22." Jack answered. Ralph turned the knob on his radio until the pine-green screen read CHANNEL 22. He held the speak button down and said, "Hello-" It echoed back on the radio at Jack's belt. A few of the boys giggled. Ralph smiled.

"There. We're all set."

"Why would anything happen? What Terrorists?" Piggy asked timidly, catching Ralph and Jack off guard. The two exchanged worried looks. They hadn't told Piggy of the attack.

"You see, there may be-"

"-Men with guns-"

"-Soldiers from the other side of the war."

"Terrorists."

Piggy's brows furrowed and he removed his specs from his nose and proceeded with the usual process of polishing them. "How can that be- why would they be here if they think we're all dead?"

"They obviously don't think we're all dead." Ralph replied. "They have guns and they're dangerous. We saw them in the city-"

"-And we're going back there tomorrow?" Maurice asked, voice high-pitched with worry.

"We'll go a different route, in-between buildings. We'll sneak around this time." Ralph tried to reassure him. Maurice didn't look too comforted. "It'll be safe I promise. We need to gather food, the Littun's are complaining. If we keep them satisfied and quiet, we can hide here until help arrives."

"When do you think that'll be? As much as I hate saying it, Piggy's right. Everyone thinks we're dead." Jack had a point. Everyone was so busy with the war why would anyone bother to look for them? The bomb had been terrible; it was a miracle they had even survived. No one would know this though and Jack knew it. Help wouldn't be coming anytime soon and when it did, it would be for body recovery not search and rescue.

"We need to try. We can't set up a fire to flag passing planes down…"

"That'll give our hide-out away to the Terrorist's." Piggy said.

"-Which is why we can't." Ralph muttered. "We'll just have to hope that someone's looking… And if we see a passing plane, we can try to flag it down at that moment."

"What if it's an enemy plane? How would we know the difference?" asked Maurice.

"There was a symbol on one of the Terrorist's helmet… A snake wrapped around a sword- some sign from their military or army, I'm sure. Their fighter planes probably identify with the same thing." Roger pointed out. Ralph nodded.

"Then that's how we'll know." He said finally. No one said anymore. He sighed. "It' late and everyone's tired. We need to get some rest for tomorrow."

The Littluns fell asleep first. They twisted and turned where they lay, crying out every now and again, sobbing silently. Some woke up in the early hours, screaming. Others just muttered to themselves. Very few were peaceful; and even fewer got much sleep at all. They cuddled close to keep warm, using their uniform jackets as substitutes for blankets. They shivered in the cold. Samneric held onto each other through the night. When one woke up so did the other and they held on tighter when they finally fell back asleep. Ralph attempted to sleep but woke up often; same for Jack, Roger, and many of the other older boys.

Simon sat alone, unable to sleep, on a pile of tall rubble looking out to the war-torn landscape. The moon only lit up so much. Everything else was pitch black. He was shocked by how dark natural night really was- with no lamp posts or city lights, it gave a whole new meaning to a 'dark night'. Fallen buildings in the distance were ghostly looking and a shudder ran up his spine. The smoke made the moon much less bright than it should have been. He wondered how long those heavy red and black clouds would last. Would the sky be blotted out like this forever? He hoped not… He brushed the dark tendrils of hair that fell in his face away and tucked the behind his ear. His green eyes moved down from the city and to the sleeping boys below. He looked over Jack, who was curled up alone not far from Ralph. Roger was sitting against one of the brick walls, his new rifle leaning on a piece of rock next to him. He was flipping a small, silver coin into the air over and over again, the moon-light reflecting off the silver when I twirled in the air high enough. Simon then looked to the Littluns. His heart ached for them; he wished he could help them sleep better, but there wasn't anything he could do. He sighed slowly. Finally his eyes reached the sleeping heap known as Ralph. Their new chief. Simon felt Ralph was a better chief than Jack- which was of course why he didn't vote for his commanding officer. Jack wasn't a bad kid he just wasn't fit to be Chief, to be leader. Not in this situation, no. Ralph, however, he had a good heart. Simon trusted that Ralph would take care of them…

By the time the sky began to turn purple, orange, and dark blue, the fire had gone out entirely.

"How long have you been awake?" Jack asked groggily, ruffling his dirty red locks. Roger looked up from where he sat.

"Never went to sleep."

"Why not?" Roger shrugged, then stood up and swung his rifle over his shoulder. Most of the Littluns were still sleeping while other began to stretch and rise from where they lay. A small boy with a dark mulberry coloured birth mark covering the left side of his face looked around and took in his surroundings. His eyes watered. He must have thought the horrible events that occurred the day before had been a dream.

"I-I wanna go home…" He croaked to the boy next to him. A few of the other children chattered about their nightmares of monsters and beasts in the sky…

The lunch room became an area of noise and movement. Everyone had awakened and breathed in the polluted, smoky air. The sun was getting higher in the sky as 12 o'clock came around. Ralph, Jack, Simon, and Maurice gathered at the top of the rubble that led outside. Roger stood up there with them. They looked down at the Littun's and black caps below.

"Roger," Jack began, setting his hand at his belt. "This is your post. You have the radio I gave you, yes?" Roger nodded. "Alright. If anything happens or you spot something out of the ordinary, call in and we'll head back immediately."

"We shouldn't be long. At least two hours tops. We'll bring back food, water- "Ralph reassured the group below. They all grinned at the words he spoke and licked their dry lips. The small and numerous eyes that looked up at him made him feel powerful… And needed. "Samneric, how about you go search for wood again-don't go farther than the court yard gates. Piggy, you're to keep eye on the Littluns…"

"-Ralph-" Jack spoke, looking impatient. "Let's get on with it." Ralph nodded quickly and looked back at the crowd.

"So long!" he waved. Many small hands went up as they all waved them good-bye. Roger took a seat on the rubble, resting his rifle on a cement block and adjusting it so that it was ready to aim and shoot. The four clambered down the rubble and leapt down onto the dirt, making their way towards the city.

Ralph led them along, keeping close to the cars and staying slightly crouched the entire way. Jack had removed his pistol from his belt. He wasn't scared but his hands shook. His uncle had taken him hunting once before and he shot a deer- but he had never shot a person before. He had never been in _real _combat either. Once they entered the city, Ralph immediately searched for a building or alleyway they could use that would keep them out form the open. He stopped with two cars on either side of him. Jack caught up next to him while Maurice and Simon waited behind.

"What's your plan?" Jack asked in a hushed tone.

"There's an alleyway just up ahead…" Ralph answered. He gestured for Jack to stay close and continued along the line of burnt cars until he reached an opening between two somewhat intact buildings.

Among the buildings still intact, the market was one of them, conveniently enough. The back door had been thrown completely from its hinges. Inside, most of the shelves had toppled over and the food was already covered in flies and rotting. It didn't smell too good either. Crinkling his nose, Ralph went inside, stepping over some debris that lay in the doorway, the three boys right behind him. The station where shopping carts were lined up was trashed- most of the carts were toppled on one another making a tower of twisted, half-melted metal.

"The storage unit, down here-" Jack gestured to the two revolving metal doors that led into a mini-warehouse. "There might be food still intact there." Ralph turned to the way Jack had gestured to.

"Let's get a cart-" He lifted one that lie on its side by one of the doors and pushed it over to Maurice. "Maurice, Simon, that's for you two to fill." Maurice nodded and Simon pushed open the two doors for Maurice push the cart into. The boy launched forward and stood on the bar on the bottom of the cart. Simon giggled and followed after him. Ralph found another cart and pushed it over to Jack who caught it and also followed Maurice through the doors.

The warehouse consisted of six, tall shelves. Four had fallen but two more still stood. The aisles were littered with trash and boxes. Maurice rode his cart through them until he came to an abrupt halt, when the wheels hit a chunk of cement, that was so hard he had to grab the handle bar to keep him from tumbling over into the basket.

"Careful-!" Simon grabbed the handle bar hoping to weaken the stop a little bit.

"Canned foods are best. They don't perish as quickly as other packaged goods." Ralph said as he searched through the shelves. Simon stooped down and picked up a can that's label was hidden under dust and ash. He wiped it away. 'Canned corn kernels' it read and Simon recognized the familiar looking green man on the label. He smiled and tossed it into Maurice's basket. Ralph began stuffing canned food that had fallen on the floor and stuffed them into his shirt then hauled them back to Jack's cart.

"Condensed milk… No one will want that." Jack gave a look of disgust at one of the cans Ralph had brought back. Ralph just shrugged.

"They'll have to- it's as close to milk as we can get for now." He said as he threw in a few more cans. The fair haired boy turned back to the shelves and smiled. "Well this was an easy and lucky find."

"Yeah." Chuckled Maurice, who was pushing his cart down the other aisle parallel to Ralph while Simon hurried after him carrying an armful of cans.

"We need water." Jack spoke up. "Or at least something other than 'condensed milk'." Ralph looked around but saw no deposit bottles or packaged water bottles. He licked his dry lips. They needed water badly.

While Maurice continued to push the cart, Simon dropped the last cans he had found into it, letting Maurice continue to ride around even if he wasn't being much help. His eyes drifted around them. Water. They needed water and he wanted to help Ralph. Maurice busied himself with riding the shopping cart around while Jack and Ralph were still searching for canned goods. Simon stepped away from them and pushed open the revolving doors back into the market itself. Surely there could be something of use in here. He walked slowly among the messy aisles, eyes searching…

_Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip._

Simon froze in place and listened.

_Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip._

The sound was fast paced, like rain falling onto a roof. He turned to his left. The refrigerators where the frozen foods were kept had turned off since the generators had died. The ice that collected in them had begun to melt and dripped into a puddle on the tile floor. Simon's hands moved quickly and he snagged the canteen that was strapped around his chest and shoved it under where the ice was dripping. It fell into the canteen, filling it quickly. A smile curled into his cracked lips. After about a minute, he pulled the canteen away and poured the contents into his mouth. It was cold and tasted clean. The water slipped down his dry throat with ease and felt _so _good. Once he emptied it, he put it under the dripping ice once again.

"Hey, Ralph-!" He called out but silenced himself immediately after when a low, _growling _emitted behind him and the blood in his veins froze. He stood still, his heart pounding. Slowly, the small turned over his shoulder and met the fierce eyes of a large, wild, dog standing only a few feet behind him.

_**AN: Whoop! Cliffhanger! *maniacal laughing* Glad I got this one done before 3 AM for once, hahaha. I made sure to make it longer since the last one was so short. **_

_**God be with you, Simon. ;P**_

_**Next chapter should be done by tomorrow night. Enjoy and please review! **_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4- Wild dogs and Cigarettes

As the sun continued to travel across the sky, the Littlun's grew more and more restless and bored of the cafeteria. The title "Littluns" had been given to them by Ralph and the name was given to all those shorter or the same height as Simon. Their stomachs growled and their throats begged for water. But the Chief and the others had yet to return, so they were left to wait and groan and complain to the chubby boy who had been ordered to watch them. They only listened to Ralph because he seemed to be the closest thing to an adult as they could get. He also, unlike Jack and the dark haired boy perched by the collapsed entrance, was kind to them and promised food and water. Samneric were going back and forth from the court yard outside, gathering sticks and twigs. The oldest of the Littluns, a small boy named Henry removed a long twig from the pile and chased one of the other boys around with it. Three others watched and giggled, while another picked up a stick for himself and poked his friend with it. Piggy watched them while sitting on one of the long folding tables they once used for lunch.

"Hey, quit it you-!" he hollered when one of them jabbed him in the side with a sharpened stick. "Those are for the fire, put 'em back!" They laughed and ran off, still holding their 'weapons'. Piggy sighed and removed his specs from his nose and wiped them off with his uniform. The air was cold but the sun beat down on them making the air a` bit hot. His hair began to stick to his forehead from sweat. After about a fourth trip, Samneric returned, arms and hands turning black from the charcoal like sticks, and tossed a final pile into the pit. They dusted of their hands on their pants. Henry snuck up behind Piggy and poked him with his stick.

He giggled and ran off, whispers and more giggles coming from his friends that watched from a distance.

"Hey!" Piggy stood up this time. "What did I say?"

"You're not the Chief!" Henry had run behind one of the tables. He stuck out a pink tongue. Piggy couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Don't make me come after you!" He threatened and the boy screeched and ran off, his small black cap falling from his head and rolling on the floor. Piggy had no intentions of going after the boy. All in account of his asthma, he knew. He folded his hands in his lap and overlooked the Littluns once again. Samneric were flipping the pages of one of the books someone had brought back. A few others were napping together under their coats. The boy with the mulberry birthmark was sitting with a small cluster of other boys. He was crying, shuddering with sobs. Most thought him batty except for three or four boys his age who still befriended him. Piggy heaved himself off the lunch table and went over to them.

"A-and it was big and black, his eyes were big, too, and he had wings-" Between sobs, Piggy could hear the frightening description he attempted to give the other boys who looked at each other then back at him with wide eyes.

"What are you all talking about?" Piggy asked slowly, crouched down to their level. His voice startled one of them and the small boy jumped. The boy with the mulberry mark rubbed his damp eyes and said, "I-I saw a monster last night…!"

"A beast!"

"With large wings-"

"-And talons!"

The other children around him quickly spoke, giving descriptions from what they had heard.

"I saw him, too!" One said, and the others nodded frantically. Piggy tut-tut'd.

"There's no Beast, Ralph and Jack wouldn't let there be." He said reassuringly, but the other boys shook their heads.

"I saw it!" The boy with the mulberry birthmark pushed. "I-it was big a-and scary, a-and-" He couldn't finish his sentence. His voice cracked and the lump in his throat became unbearable. He began to cry. Piggy reached out and gently touched his shoulder. "It's okay, you're just scared. There's no beast, I promise." The boy with the mulberry birthmark looked up at him skeptically. Piggy sighed and then poked and tickled the boy's side until he grinned and giggled.

Simon didn't move, he didn't breathe. His heart pounded in his ears and he feared it would beat right out of his chest. The large dog in front of him had light brown fur tinted with grey ash and dirt. Blood clotted and stained the fur around his neck. It growled , pulling back it's lips showing teeth. Simon inhaled sharply. He was so focused on the beast in front of him that he didn't hear the revolving doors open. Ralph, Jack, and Maurice stood still. Maurice clung tightly to Ralph's arm, peering around him.

"S-Simon-" Ralph spoke in a whisper. The dog suddenly roared, barking loudly, and _lunged._ "Simon!" Ralph screamed it this time as the dog tackled the smaller boy to the ground. He cried out, his fingers straining in its fur trying to hold it back. It snarled and its head moved frantically, jaws snapping for his neck and face.

"Ralph!" Simon screamed. Jack's fingers twitched, _Come on, do something! _He snagged his pistol from his belt. _Come on, come on! You idiot, shoot it! _He flicked the safety off, held up the gun- _BLAM!_

The large dog suddenly grew still. It was heavy against Simon and he stared back at it with large eyes as the light in its blue optics slowly faded. He pushed it off of him, breathing hard. Jack shook. A puddle of dark red began pooling around the canine.

"I-is It dead?" He stammered, trying to sound strong. The animal's leg twitched a final time before it grew stiff. Simon slowly got to his feet while Ralph breathed a sigh of relief- he hadn't realized he had been holding his breath.

"Are you alright?" He rushed over to Simon, grabbing his arms. The boy nodded, eyes drifting everywhere but on Ralph.

"Y-yes…"

"What were doing you out here?" Jack asked.

"I-" Simon glanced down. What had he been doing? Oh yes, the water. "I-I found water…" "Where?" Ralph's eyes lit up. Simon pointed to the water that still dripped. His canteen was lying on the floor now where he had dropped it. He scooped it up and placed it under the dripping ice once again, letting it fill up, then handed it to Ralph. "It's clean, I checked." Ralph poured it into his mouth and smiled, wiping the water that dribbled on his chin away.

"Lemme have some." Maurice chirped, and unstrapped his own canteen. The four boys took turns filling up their canteens halfway; for they weren't patient enough to wait for it fill entirely. For a good ten minutes they drank and smiled.

"We'll fill up our canteens all the way and bring them back to the others." Said Ralph once they had all quenched their thirst.

"Will four canteens be enough?" Jack examined his canteen ad thought. It wasn't small but four of these wouldn't last all twenty or so boys for long at all. Ralph knew this too. He searched the ground for other things that they could use to store water with.

"By tomorrow, the water may already be gone…" said Simon. Ralph chewed on his bottom lip. Finally his eyes spotted in one of the shattered windows of the refrigerators a gallon of milk. It had busted and white liquid poured over the shelf and into the fridge. The edges of the puddles turned yellow from where it had begun to evaporate. There was other gallons stacked side-by-side in the shelf in similar conditions. He grabbed the first one and dumped out its remaining and spoiled contents on the floor. Turning it upside down so that the lid was pointing to the floor, he placed it under the ice and the water that dripped slipped into the split in the plastic of the container. A victorious smile curled into his lips.  
"Someone will have to hold these on the way back, but if he we hold them like this-" He displayed the gallon he held. "-Then the water stays inside. Two or three of these should last us at least two days."

"Then what?"

"We'll find more water. The bay is about a day's walk from here. We'll try that next time." He said as he finished filling the first gallon before handing it over to Simon.

The sun moved further in the sky, and soon it beat down over the collapsed entrance where Roger was posted. Despite the sun, he kept his black tog draped over his shoulders. His darkly coloured eyes scanned the war-torn landscape ahead of him. The bags under his eyes and jet-black hair seemed to suit his gloomy and mysterious personality. His antisocial ways gave off a vibe that was forbidding which was probably why not many of the others boys spoke to him. God, he was bored. But Jack said to stay put and Lord knows how much he listens to that boy. There really was no reason for that. He wanted him to Chief-not this Ralph kid. He ran a dry tongue over his lips and sighed, settling into the cement block he sat on. The sniper rifle he carried was still perched up on a block and he peered through its scope getting a farther view of the area. He could see the highway they traveled on the day before just ahead. The surrounding neighborhoods were mostly torn down and he could see beyond them. Mirages bubbled on the horizon.

Pulling away from the scope, he reached into his pocket and removed the small white box of cigarettes he had found the day before. The box was mostly white, with a red strip around the entire thing. The words Marlboro in thin black letters titled the front of it. Popping open the lid, he plucked out one of the long, slender cigarettes and examined it, then he reached into the same pocket again and pulled out a box of matches. Matches, lighters, and other similar objects weren't allowed at school- but he kept them anyway, hidden in his pockets and back-packs. Striking the match against the cement block that held his rifle, he watched the small flame that sparked on the thin stick held between his thumb and index finger. After lighting the cigarette, he plucked it in his mouth then slowly breathed in its smoke and taste. His mind recognized the smell… Roger never smoked before, but his mother had. A lot. She'd go through two whole packs a day and then walk to the local gas station to buy more. They rarely had enough money for food, clothes, or school supplies because of it and sometimes she had Roger follow her into the gas station and steal food into his backpack for her. He didn't like stealing- not at the time. Eventually, it became a normal thing to him, a way of life. He was stealing small, simple things from pencils and erasers to notebooks and text-books. He often found himself in trouble and spent a good six hours on a Saturday once for stealing money out of a teacher's desk. He chuckled lightly to himself, thinking back at all the things he had done before he arrived at this uptight, high-class school.

Now back to the smoking.

The smell of the smoke and the taste of the nicotine- the way the smoke puffed in small, white clouds when he blew reminded him of his mother- and had he not hated her, he would have smiled rather than grimaced at the nostalgia. He took in another draw. It fueled the hate, the anger, the rage. He could feel it fill up inside him the same way the smoke filled up his lungs. It was oddly addictive. And it felt good.

"Smoking's no good for you, you know." A thickly-accented voice made him turn and face Piggy who was at the base of the rubble. "My Auntie says it's bad for you- especially for me. 'Cause of my asthma." Roger looked Piggy over before sticking the cigarette back in his mouth and held in the smoke for a long time. Piggy shook his head. "That'll mess with your lungs, we read about in Health class. Don't you remember?" Roger didn't speak. This kid was annoying. He stared at him indifferently before pulling out the cigarette, holding it between his fingers, and puffing out a thick cloud that traveled up, up, up into the air. Piggy stepped back as if it would somehow travel down and mess with his crummy asthma.

"Where'd you get those cigarettes, anyways?" He asked, squinting up at Roger. His specs flashed but Roger didn't break eye-contact.

"Dead soldier." He replied in a low voice. He tapped the cigarette, a few small ashes falling from it. Piggy raised his brows.

"Was it one of our soldiers?"

"Don't know who it was." Roger stuck the cigarette back into his mouth, holding it between two fingers. He was done with the conversation. He turned back to the landscape. A moment later, he was standing.

Four figures appeared in the distance, distorted by the mirages. They walked along the highway, side-by-side, two of them pushing something. Roger let his left arm fall to his side while the other removed the cigarette and tapped it, ash falling again.

"They're here…" He muttered to himself.

"What was that?" Piggy was trying to climb up the rubble. Roger didn't speak. Instead, he dropped the cigarette onto the rubble, the last wisps of smoke dancing off his tongue and escaping out his lips. His throat burned now and part of him wished he had never smoked that cigarette. He was thirstier than ever. Using the toe of his laced-up boots, he stepped on the butt of the cigarette- it hissed as the spark died.

Once the four boys arrived, the Littluns flocked the collapsed entrance like dogs awaiting their masters return. Roger had taken a seat on the rubble away from them and watched, while Piggy pushed himself to the front. Jack and Maurice pushed two shopping carts that were somewhat full of canned food, while Simon carried three milk gallons full of water. He was barely balancing the third one.

"Stay still, stay still!" Ralph ordered when the Littluns got so close that they stepped on hs foot. "Go sit down and we'll brign everything to you!" The relunctant children sat down at the lunch tables as they did when school was in session. The boy with the mulberry birthmark and his friends had forgotten their talks of their nightmares and awaited with the other children for the treats the Chief and the others had brought back.

"Ralph?" Maurice whispered as he examined the cans in the shopping cart.

"Hm?" Ralph looked up to him.

"How are we gonna open these? We don't have any can-openers." Ralph pulled ne out of his cart and looked around until he spotted a cement block that had broken. He took the can and laid it on its side, then picked up another rock. Maurice stood behind him, watching over his shoulder.  
"We'll just break 'em open. Like this-" He held the rock over his head and brought it down hard on the end of the can. The thin metal crunched. He brought it down a second time and it spilt. Juices from its contents (green beans) spilled out onto his hand and the rocks. He pulled open the split in the can just enough so that his fingers could reach in and pull out a few of the green vegetables. He plucked two in his mouth and chewed then looked to Maurice, who was dribbling over the sight of food. None of them had eaten in a day- the bomb had hit before lunch that day. Ralph reached up and handed it to him.

"Make sure the Littluns get food first before you tear into that like a wild animal."

It took thirty minutes to crack open enough cans for all the Littuns. While they waited, Simon gave them one gallon of the water to be passed around. It was finished once it hit the last boy. They ate wildly, food falling into their laps and making a sticky mess on their faces around their lips. Jack had given Roger the gallon to fill his canteen. Simon sat not far from Ralph, picking at his canned beans and eating slowly. Sure, it would have tasted better warmed up, but he was very hungry. Plus, the fire wasn't to be lit during daylight because Ralph was afraid that the Terrorist's would see the smoke. That night they could warm up their food by the fire.

"Like a bunch of kids." Piggy shook his head at the Littun's as they made a mess, the table they sat out became a revolting mess of dirt and discarded food. At least they were satisfied. For now. For someone his size, he ate rather peacefully. He didn't have any utensils but he picked up his food carefully with his plump fingers. Ralph chuckled.

"They _are_ kids."

"They weren't taught to act like this..!" Piggy's voice rose a bit in pitch and he looked down at his food a bit shamefully, then went back to eating. The remaining cans were all thrown into one cart and the other was left empty to be used in the next trip. Ralph was already contemplating where they would search for food next. He wondered if the bay was still inhabited with fish. He didn't know how the bomb would have affected them- if it had affected them at all.

Jack sat below Roger. He wondered what they could do for food also. His mind wandered from the market, to the dog. That dog appeared too wild to be a domesticated house-dog. It could have been a wolf or a coyote. Maybe, he thought, maybe they could use it for meat.

_**AN: Because a smoking Roger is a best Roger. Welp, here's Chapter 4. Enjoy! Reviews are appreciated, as always!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**EDIT: AN: School is starting back up and updates are going to be a lot slower. Expect the next chapter either on this Wednesday or this weekend. Sorry ;~;**_

Chapter 5 – A Spark of Hatred

The next couple of days were spent inside the school. Ralph ordered that no one was to leave the Court yard and it was preferred for them not to leave the ruins known as the school at all. The fire was lit every night with the matches Roger provided the first night. After the second, he claimed he had no more (this was not true) and they were forced to learn by rubbing two sticks together and the striking of rocks. Piggy's glasses could be used during daylight, but there was no light to direct the reflection with when night fell. The Littluns entertained themselves by climbing through the rubble inside the school. Many returned to the cafeteria crying about their scabbed knees. Jack grew tired of their whining very quickly and spent most of his time alone or with Ralph, where they discussed the next food scavenge and the Terrorist's and dogs. The food lasted the group exactly four days and was now dwindling dangerously. Ralph tried his best to ration it wisely. Three cans per two boys a day was the rule, and despite the complaining and protests from both the older boys and Littluns, Ralph didn't falter. Water was harder to deal with however. It ran out faster than any of them expected and by the third day, they were down to only half a gallon. Simon and Maurice were sharing the small amount left in Maurice's canteen, while Jack and Ralph had run out entirely. Meanwhile, other problems arose from the Littluns. Percival, one of the youngest boys, had grown ill. He had attained a bad cut from the blast and they covered it in bandages from a First Aid Kit that they found in what remained of the Nurse's Office. Of course their luck had it that the rest of the supplies were buried in rubble making it unreachable. Despite their attempts to keep the cut clean, it began to discolour. Percival complained that it hurt and when they removed the bandages they found that it was drenched in puss and blood; it pointed to one cause- an infection. The boy spent his days wrapped in his coat, coughing and sleeping. Simon gave him his own coat and was the one who cared for him, staying by his side day and night and bringing him small drinks of water. He gave the boy the remains in his canteen so that he didn't have to use the water meant for the Littlun's, which was why Simon had to share with Maurice. By the fourth night, Percival was running a high fever.

"He needs medicine…" said Simon quietly. Ralph sat across from him, on the other side of Percival. It was late and most of the Littluns were huddled by the fire. Percival moaned in pain softly. "And water, too. He needs more of it than the other boys and we're running low." Ralph was feeling irritated.

"I know that." He said quickly, almost snapping, and then sighed. "I'll plan a scavenge for tomorrow. Jack and his boys can go to the bay and gather water- they could return by dusk." He looked over by the collapsed roof where Roger was posted. Jack was sitting just below him. He was talking something about a hunt but Roger didn't seem like he was listening. Simon nodded and gently used a cloth to wipe some sweat from the smaller boy's forehead. Ralph stood up and went over to Roger and Jack. Piggy had been watching Simon and Ralph by the fire and when he saw Ralph get up, he decided to follow.

"We need to medicine for Percival- he's getting worse." Ralph said once he reached Jack and Roger. Roger didn't glance down at the fair haired boy, but kept his eyes glued on the landscape, a cigarette between his fingers. A tail of smoke drifted up from it. He had only five more left in the small white box now. Piggy scrunched his face at the sight of the cigarette but made no comment. Wise choice. Ralph didn't care much at all.

"We also need more food and water." Jack answered.

"I know that." Ralph repeated this and his jaw tightened. Why was this making him so angry? He ignored Piggy who stood beside him now. "Tomorrow morning you, Roger, Maurice, and a few others should leave to look for some."

"What about you?" Jack turned from where he sat so that he faced Ralph fully. That was when Ralph noticed that Jack had been holding his army knife, the blade gleaming in the moonlight. "And I thought you preferred Roger to stay here because of his rifle."

"I can stay and keep watch. Simon isn't any good with a gun and God knows Piggy isn't either."

"Tell me something I don't know." Jack scoffed. He turned the knife in the moonlight, watching it reflect. "Ralph?"

"Yes?"

"We need meat. We can't just keep eating from cans."

"Why not?" Ralph crossed his arms. "It's perfectly fine, and lasts longer than meat does."

"Yes but it isn't any good. I saw a pack of those dogs not far from here- we can hunt them."

"Hunt dogs?" Ralph raised a brow. He had to be kidding. "They're too dangerous-"

"-yes, but if Roger is with us- his gun is more powerful and can shoot from a distance. We can pick them off from far away."

"What if the shots alert the Terrorist's? They're worse than the dogs, they could kill everyone here..!"

"We haven't seen them since the day of the bombing and that was how long ago?" Jack raised his hand, gesturing outside. "It's been nearly a week."

"It's been five days." Piggy spoke up. Jack seemed to notice him just now and gave him a dirty look.

"So? They could be hiding in the city somewhere and all it would take is one loud boom and they'd come running!" Ralph uncrossed his arms again, gesturing outside also. Outside, the clouds were still a dark colour most of the time and the air was dry. Jack muttered something under his breath and lowered his eyes back to his knife. "We don't need meat. We have just enough food to last us maybe two more days. Tomorrow, you're to go gather more of it and then medicine and water."

"That's a day's trip!" Jack jerked his head up to Ralph, brows furrowed in frustration and red hair bouncing. Ralph opened his mouth to say something but Piggy beat him to it.

"Percival needs medicine now and we're all running out of water!"

Jack ignored him. "How will we get all of that back here?"

"The carts. You can take them both. I'm sure you can find a way to put the gallons in the carts or you could just carry them back." Ralph said and Jack grew more and more irritated. It wasn't the work, it was the being told what to do that was really getting to him.

"It won't take-"

"Piggy, shut your fat ass!" Jack suddenly yelled. The Littluns by the fire looked over their shoulder's to see where the yelling came from. Piggy's glasses flashed and he grew silent. Jack lowered his voice, but it kept its harsh, angry tone. "You haven't done much to help at all since the bomb!"

"He's watched the Littluns-"Ralph quickly spoke up. "-And he can't help on scavenges because he's not fit for it. Anyway, at dawn you'll go out to search for food, water, and medicine, alright?"

Jack kept quiet, pretending to be distracted by his knife.

"Alright?" Ralph repeated firmly.

"Yes, alright- damn!" Jack replied, greatly annoyed now. He leaned back on the rock he sat on and grew silent once more. Ralph sighed and turned back to the fire, Piggy following right beside him.

The moment the sun peeked its face over the destroyed city, Jack, Roger, Maurice, Robert, and three other older boys rose from where they slept, trying to resist from taking a sip from their canteens. Jack didn't speak to Ralph, still angry about the night before. By what felt like 8 o'clock, they were ready, Ralph pushed a cart meant for Jack, but he ignored it. Maurice took it instead. Ralph shifted in place uneasily.

"Alright-" He stated, hoping that by the time they returned, Jack would've forgotten all this. "-Head for the market first and check to see if that ice is still there."

"It's probably all melted now." Said Piggy. Ralph went on.  
"If not, then head for the bay. Fill up all your canteens, and the gallons. Most importantly, search for medicine. The pharmacy is just down the street from the market." A few boys mumbled. Maurice and Robert began pushing and lifting the cart through the rubble until they reached the court yard, then did the same with the other cart. "Once you get that, then head back right away."

"Where else would we go?" Jack muttered sourly. Ralph pretended not to hear.

Jack led the way down the long stretch of road that went into the city, with Roger right behind him. Two other boys, ages between 12 and 14 were a few feet behind him. In the very back, pushing the carts side-by-side were Robert and Maurice. The road was still crammed with cars and some of the bodies that had been inside them were decaying now. One of the driver's doors of one car had opened and a blanket of flies covered the exposed skin of the dead driver that had fallen out. The boys veered far from it. The air was thick with smoke again; a fire that was blazing three miles into the west of the city was sending plumes of thick black smoke into the sky. Other than that, the red discolouration of the sky was mostly faded. It was an overall, lovely day.

"We'll go to the Bay first and get the bloody water." Jack suddenly spoke up. It had been silent the entire time except for Maurice and Robert who were quietly chattering in the back. Jack was still feeling a bit bitter and it was terribly obvious in his voice. "That'll take the longest, so we should do that first." The fact that he had leadership over the black caps made him feel a bit better.

Grey ash covered patches of the cool water in the bay. At around noon, they reached the water and pushed the ash away, dunking their canteens deep into the water to avoid the pollution. They drenched their faces and poured the water down their necks against the heat of the sun. Most of them had left their togs back at the school. Roger, of course, kept his. Jack wore his uniform jacket solely because it displayed a few badges, merits, and medals he had received from the General over the past few years he had spent at the academy. He stood tall and a bit scrawny, overlooking the other boys and the surrounding area. The bridge was in their view now. They could see where cars had been driving on it when the bomb hit. Massive chunks of cement and what was once a highway passing over the bridge now lay in the bay, along with the mangled remains of vehicles. Images of cars and their passengers locked inside sinking into the water filled the red-heads mind forcing him to look away. His blue optics fell on Roger who also was looking out over the river. His rifle was balanced on his bony shoulders. Robert and Maurice filled up the gallons and then gently laid them in the carts, laying the ones that had splits on their sides and moving the carts slowly so that the water didn't spill out. After thirty minutes at the bay, Jack led them back towards the city.

…..

"How's he doing?" Ralph asked as he sat down next to Simon. He eyed the small, sickly boy lying in front of them. Percival twisted in his sleep, face crunched in pain. Drops of sweat formed on his forehead and Simon tried to wipe them away. His leg that was cut was wrapped in new bandages. Simon began to remove them to check the infection. Ralph eyed Simon nervously, then looked back at Percival's leg. As the stained bandages were removed they pulled some of the decaying tissue in the gash with them. The bandages were sticky with blood, puss, and torn skin. Percival stirred in a bit of pain in his sleep and groaned softly. Simon and Ralph winced. The infection had gotten worse. It was green, red, purple- a rainbow of disgusting colours. The smell made Ralph's stomach flip.

"What's that moving-" Ralph began but then gulped. A few white worms- maggots –twisted around inside part of the gash. He shuddered and looked away. Simon softly put the bandages back on. "It needs to be cleaned or…" Simon stopped. "When will Jack be back?"

"Soon…" Ralph answered. "They'll bring the medicine and he'll be fine. Don't worry." He put a hand on Simon's shoulder, who looked back at him and smiled lightly.

…..

Jack Merridew led them into the market. They gathered what they could find, but it wasn't nearly as much as they had found on the first day. Jack clambered through the crashed shelves in the market itself, searching for food. Roger followed close behind while the other boys checked the mini warehouse. He found a shelf that hadn't fallen and searched its contents.

"We need to hunt-" He said, holding a can baked beans. The bottom of it had torn open and its contents stained his fingers with thick, sticky brown stuff. He scowled and wiped it on his pants. "We can't keep eating this shit…" Roger looked up then lowered his head again, keeping silent. He kicked a box of some kind of rotting food, watching it slide under the shelf.

"Don't you agree?" Jack went on. "We need meat, actual food-" He stopped. Roger looked up a second time. Jack's eyes were locked on the end of the aisle they walked through.

"What-" Roger opened his mouth.

"Shh-!" Jack hissed. He held up a hand to emphasis this, and then took a small step forward. Roger grasped his rifle tighter. There was a small, clacking sound coming from one of the aisles surrounding them. Jack strained his ears to hear which one. It sounded like something was walking in one of the other aisles. He slowly removed the army knife from his belt, then gestured for Roger to follow. The darkly haired boy grabbed a hold of his rifle and held it forward, eyes peering through the scope. Jack reached the end of the aisle and pressed his back against the next shelf. He listened again. It was just around the corner now. Ever so slowly, he turned the corner.

…

The sun was nearly finished with its journeys across the sky and Jack's team had yet to return.

"Do ya think they found enough food?" Piggy asked, standing next to Ralph on top of the collapsed rubble. The fair haired boy's hands were on his hips. He watched the horizon uneasily. Meanwhile, Samneric were beginning to start the fire for the Littluns.

"Why wouldn't they?" Piggy shrugged. Ralph sighed uneasily and tried to seem confident. Suddenly, he noticed something moving on the horizon, drawing nearer and nearer.

"There they are!" He pointed and let out a sigh of relief. As they grew closer he could hear something- chanting? No. Singing? Yes, it was some rhyme they had learned from the marches. Ralph picked out Jack, tall, scrawny, and red-headed, leading the pack. Roger was close behind and together they held something large on their shoulders. Whatever it was, it swung back and forth when they walked. Simon stood up from where he sat with Percival and joined next to Ralph. Samneric had finished lighting the fire and stood up when Ralph shouted. The two joined side by side next to Piggy, watching the procession. Ralph shielded his eyes against the fading sun. Their singing was harmonious and stayed that way until they reached the rubble where they toiled over the uneven ground, and the singing stopped as they struggled to climb up. The thing Roger and Jack held- _the bleeding carcass of a wild dog_- swung more, and a trail of dark liquid followed them wherever they went. They heaved it up the rubble. Ralph felt his stomach lurch and his face flushed. Piggy looked like he was about to say something and Simon shushed him as though he had spoken during a test in class. Simon looked to Ralph anxiously. Jack reached the top first, then Roger and the two swung the carcass over their shoulders then lowered it onto the flatter rubble they now stood on. The red-head grinned wide. Ralph kept his lips tightly together. Below, Maurice and Robert didn't try to heave the carts up the collapsed rubble, afraid they'd spill the water.

"Look-! I told you we could kill one the dogs! I told you-" Jack began, not bitterly now. His voice was full of pride. "-We found him in the market, alone. I didn't use my gun and neither did Roger-"

"Did you get the medicine?"

Jack ignored this comment, "No, we didn't find any. Anyway, we found him alone and I took my knife-"

"Did you even look?" Ralph's eyes widened in a bit of horror and his voice raised in pitch. Jack glared at him, slightly irritated that was more concerned with the medicine rather than his kill.

"Yes, we looked!" He retorted. This was a lie- they had forgotten the medicine entirely due to the excitement of the kill. "Anyway- I used my knife-"

"It yelped so loudly!" One of the boys who had finally reached the top said. Jack smiled wider.

"There was so much blood, Ralph, if only you'd seen it. Roger held it down and I cut its throat. We killed him quietly, no gun shots." The description of the killing was slightly off. There had been more of a struggle than Jack was telling, but it didn't matter. Ralph's angered expression didn't fade.

"You didn't get the medicine." He repeated.

"Tomorrow-" Jack went on. "Tomorrow we'll search again, harder this time until we find supplies for Percival."

Simon shifted where he stood. Had he confidence he'd speak up; Percival needed medicine now. He couldn't wait much longer.

"Did you get water, at least?" Ralph spoke through gritted teeth, his voice dripping with frustration.

"Yes- Maurice, Robert! Bring the water up!" Jack answered, looking over his shoulder to the boys down below. The nodded and began to take the gallons up one at a time. Samneric, feeling awkward in the silence that lingered from Ralph, clambered down to help with the water. They brought Simon a new canteen and he took a big sip before climbing and jumping quickly down the rubble to Percival.

"Tomorrow." Ralph repeated. "Straight away you and the same boys are to get medicine and you're to do nothing else." His voice was firm.

"Straight away." Jack swallowed and felt as though he was swallowing his own pride. He nodded in agreement, feeling a pang of guilt (and a bit of anger). Ralph sighed again and ran a hand through his oily, dirty hair. Jack ducked down and turned the dog onto its back. "Alright… Let's bring it to the fire." Ralph spoke quieter now. Samneric tossed the pile of sticks and twigs they had gathered into the pit to make it larger, while Jack began hacking away at the body. They skewered bits of the meat on sticks and held them under the fire. The bits roasted and they dribbled at it, tearing away at the meat with their teeth like wolves. Simon ate a bit then took a piece back to Percival, shaking his shoulder gently in hopes of waking him. Ralph meant to refuse the meat, considering that he had told Jack _not _to hunt the animal- but he had warned him because he didn't want a gunshot to alert the Terrorist's and in fact, Jack had not used a gun at all. But his diet of cold, canned vegetables was getting tiring and the meat roasting over the open flame made his mouth water. He took a chunk of the meat and bit into it.

By night fall, the fire was brightly lit and everyone had meat. Simon continued to care for Percival, feeding him small bits of meat. But the boy wouldn't take much at all, and fell back asleep almost as soon as he awoke. His fever seemed to get worse and Simon grew more and more nervous. All he could do was hope that Percival would last another night and just hold on till tomorrow when Jack returned with medicine. Roger returned to his post and Jack sat by the fire, enjoying its warmth. He and Ralph didn't speak much at all.

By what seemed like midnight, most of the boys had fallen asleep. Roger drifted off, leaning against the rubble. Simon lay a few feet from Percival. The infection raged through is veins, and his breathing went from long heavy breaths to a slow, raspy sound. The clouds in the sky slowly began to accumulate, gathering together in thick plumes of grey and black. A long white scar of lighting tore through the air and the low rumbling of thunder sounded far off in the distance. The fire crackled and slowly died. The cafeteria became silent except for the odd snore here and there.

By morning, the boys would find that a storm was brewing towards their school and that Percival had died of the infection in his sleep.

_**AN: Wow, this was not intended to be so long..! I'll try to make the next one a bit shorter… Well, here's the chapter. Poor lil' Percival. Well, Jack, when Ralph wakes up and hears about Percival he is NOT gonna be happy. Good luck, Jack, you'll need it. **_

_**Hope I'm not boring you with this- I wanted things to happen slowly, just so they seem more realistic and similar to the book. The chapters from now on are going to be much more exciting. Here's a little hint: There is four character deaths (including Percival) already planned for this fanfic. Hooray for depressing stories! :D **_

_**Not overly proud of this chapter, but please review. Tell me how I'm doing. Thanks, I'll update sometime next week.**_


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